Grayson County, Texas
Grayson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 110,595. Grayson County is included in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Texoma region. It is named after Peter Wagener Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic of Texas. The seat of the county is Sherman6. History On May 15, 1896, a tornado measuring F5 on the Fujita scale struck Sherman. The tornado had a damage path 400 yards wide and 28 miles long, killing 73 people and injuring 200. About 50 homes were destroyed, with 20 of them being completely obliterated. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,536 km² (979 sq mi). 2,418 km² (934 sq mi) of it is land and 118 km² (46 sq mi) of it (4.67%) is water. Major Highways * U.S. Highway 69 * U.S. Highway 75 * U.S. Highway 82 * U.S. Highway 377 * State Highway 5 * State Highway 11 * State Highway 56 * State Highway 91 * State Highway 289 Adjacent counties *Marshall County (north) *Bryan County (northeast) *Fannin County (east) *Collin County (south) *Denton County (southwest) *Cooke County (west) *Love County (northwest) Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 110,595 people, 42,849 households, and 30,208 families residing in the county. The population density was 46/km² (118/sq mi). There were 48,315 housing units at an average density of 20/km² (52/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 87.20% White, 5.85% Black or African American, 1.31% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.90% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. 6.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 42,849 households out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,178, and the median income for a family was $45,048. Males had a median income of $32,998 versus $23,414 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,862. About 8.40% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns † City extends into an adjacent county. References *http://www.geocities.com/joefurr2/histtor.html - Historical Tornadoes External links *Grayson County government's website *[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/GG/hcg9.html Grayson County in Handbook of Texas Online] at the University of Texas *Grayson County historical materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History. * Minutes of the Old Settler's Association of Grayson County, 1879-1998 hosted by the Portal to Texas History. *[http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24647:1 Grayson County; an illustrated history of Grayson County, Texas.], by Graham Landrum, hosted by the Portal to Texas History *[http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24648:1 A history of Grayson County, Texas / Mattie Davis Lucas (Mrs. W. H. Lucas) and Mita Holsapple Hall (Mrs. H. E. Hall)], hosted by the Portal to Texas History Category:Counties of Texas Category:Grayson County, Texas